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Today’s PiYo workout called “Sculpt” was approximately 30 minutes long. Just as the name implies, it’s focus was full-body strength training using your own body weight as resistance.

Sculpt began with your typical warm-up and then jumped into the first series, which was called Squats, Bowlers, and Lunges (or something similar to that). You start by doing some basic squats and then do some lunges on one side, progress into lunging back and tapping forward (same leg), lunging to counts of four down and up, and pulsing lunges. You do this on both sides. You then do the same basic sequence using bowler lunges and follow up with some more squats. The next series (sorry I can’t remember it’s name – I don’t think I was watching the screen when it popped up…) starts with some downward dogs, raised and lowered lunges, downward dog with one leg up variations, and other typical PiYo moves. The third series was more focused on the Core and Arms and involved a series of pyramid push-ups where you start with the most difficult and progress to the easiest. You start on your toes with tricep push-ups, then regular push-ups, then tricep push-ups with one knee on the ground, regular push-ups with one knee on the ground, tricep push-ups with both knees on the ground and regular push-ups with both knees on the ground. You finish up with some V push-ups. The final series works on your buns, hamstrings and wraps up with a cool down. You use a chair to start off with tricep dips, then get on the floor with your feet on the chair and do a series of hamstring exercises where you push-up your hips and down (with your legs in different positions).

Overall, I enjoyed this workout. It was a good full body workout and had lots of variety. As with the other workouts, there is a modifier as well as more advanced versions of the exercises. It’s nice at times not to have to really use any equipment (even the chair can be vetoed for just using the floor if you prefer). All in all, a good workout. Time to put another dollar in my Workout Tip Jar. Yay!

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

Okay, so my PiYo “Strong Legs” review is a wee bit overdue, because I got busy after doing it the first time and didn’t get a chance to write down my thoughts. Since I wanted it to be fresh, I decided to wait until I did it again before writing the review – hence the delay.

One thing worth mentioning is that my DVD appeared to be a bit glitchy. Part way through the workout, it freezes and I have to skip ahead a few minutes in order for it to keep working (I tried cleaning it, trying it in other DVDs, etc.). I contacted Beachbody customer service and they were happy to send me a replacement disc right away, so hats off to awesome customer service!

Anyway, back to the review. Strong Legs is part of the Strength workouts provided with the Deluxe kit. It is approximately 25 minutes long and, as with the Full Body Blast, uses the strength slides for added burn (don’t let those cute little blue guys fool ya!). You start with a basic warm up of squats and lunges, etc. You then start your first series, which is called Lunges, Bowlers, and Squats. Using the slides, you lunge back and forward with the right leg, progressively getting deeper and more intense throughout the lunges. You then peak by going slow back and forward, while touching the floor and pressing back as far as you can go. Trust me, you feel the burn! You then use the same leg and proceed into bowler lunges, again getting progressively harder the more repetitions you do. Just when you’ve sufficiently burned off your behind, you switch legs and repeat the series on the opposite leg. You then proceed to wrap it up with some nice squats (ahh, a nice temporary break) and then a squat/lunge combination. Ooooh yeah. The next series is called Skaters, Sumos, and Burpees. You start off with very small, simple skaters, which progressively increase in intensity, as with the last series. It peaks at a point where you do a skater and then lunge back several times on one side before skating back to the opposite side. It hurts so bad but feels so good. You then ease up with some squats (a much appreciated break) and sumo squats. You then progress from a sumo squat into a one leg lunge back with your hand on the floor and finally into a full fledged burpee (these are tricky with those slides!). The next series is called Inner and Outer Plank. You start off in a regular plank and then drop down to your elbows where you then move one leg, using the slide, out to the side and back (you do with both legs and then alternate legs) – remember all while holding the plank! Youch! You then go back into elbow plank and alternate your legs by sliding your knee up to your elbow, then sliding out to the side and both elbows in to your chest for a crunch. The next exercise involves you starting off in a plank, bringing both knees into the chest, and then sliding out into a wide triangle, back into your chest and legs straight back. You end the series with some on the floor mountain climbers (first narrow then wide). The next series is called Glutes and Hamstrings. You start on your back with your knees bent, your hips up, and your foot on one slide. You then slide your leg to the side and back, then side, back, in, and out, then just in and out. Repeat with the opposite leg. You then put both your feet on the slides, hips up, and alternate sliding one leg straight out and back. You then wrap it up with sliding your legs, while knees are bent, out to the sides and back in. You then finish the workout with a cool down.

Overall, I really liked this lower body workout. It definitely set my bottom half on fire and I could feel the burn (in a good way). There was a lot of variety and Chalene changes things up frequently to keep you interested and in the workout. The slides really add a little something extra to the workout – it’s surprising how much more challenging the moves are when you use them! Please be sure to always use the slides as recommended in the DVDs and to follow the safety instructions. They are not simple to use, but definitely worth the extra burn you get. I’m pretty happy I invested the extra few dollars for the Strength DVD as I’ve really enjoyed both of the workouts and the use of the slides. Time to put another dollar in my Workout Tip Jar. Yay!

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

So I finally finished Month 1 of PiYo! Technically I think it took me a bit longer than a month, because of vacations and other things that came up, but it’s finally finished.

Many of you may be wondering what happened to my “Strong Legs” review. I did, in fact, do the workout, but I didn’t get a chance to write up the review, so I’m waiting until I do it again before posting (just to make sure it’s accurate). A lot of you may also be wondering why I haven’t been posting my weekly review/updates like I did with P90X3. One of the main reasons why I decided not to do this for PiYo is because I have some news – I’m pregnant! Yup, that’s right, a bun in the metaphorical oven. With P90X3, I was hitting it hard, sticking to the schedule to a T, and focusing on my weight loss goal. Obviously, being pregnant, I wasn’t about to do that with PiYo. Now, here’s the time where I need to tell you that you absolutely MUST talk to your doctor before beginning/continuing any exercise program. Your doctor knows your health and your body, so you need to speak to him/her before starting PiYo. Obviously, mine gave me the A-OK, which is why I’ve been doing PiYo while pregnant. Even then, I absolutely listen to my body and take into account the different exercises and whether they are safe for me to do (and if they are not, I either follow the modifier or do something else until the exercise changes). So far, however, so good. I’ve had no problem following PiYo and actually enjoy the break it’s been giving my body (from the more high-impact exercises I’ve done in the past).

When I first started PiYo, I really had to adjust to the slower pace of the workouts compared to P90X3 or T25. I’ve always been one to go full bore and hit it hard, so this was quite the different program. The first couple of weeks, I especially found quite easy, but as the last two weeks have passed, I’ve noticed that it has become more challenging and I’m really beginning to see the merit of having this program in your exercise repertoire. After I finish up Month 2, I don’t necessarily know if I’d do another PiYo only round, but would likely incorporate the workouts into other programs so that I’m still focusing on my strength, stability, and stretching.

Chalene Johnson, as the trainer, is, as always, a wonderful instructor. I’ve always enjoyed her workouts because of her energy, enthusiasm, and positivity and she most definitely brings that to PiYo. Being a person who doesn’t particularly like Yoga or Pilates, I’m finding myself starting to enjoy several of these workouts, which was a pleasant surprise. I really wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.

Throughout the month, I’ve definitely noticed that I’ve gotten better at each of the workouts and am improving in my strength, flexibility, and stability. Looking forward to doing Month 2!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

So today’s PiYo review of “Drench” is a bit overdue. I was supposed to do the workout a couple of days ago, but since it was the long weekend, it kind of got “put off.” Ooops. Anyway, now that the weekend is over, I’m back at it and was excited to give the new workout a try.

Drench is, surprisingly, a pretty lengthy workout (compared to the others), coming in at just over 48 minutes long. I was pleasantly surprised. As with the other workouts, it’s broken down into different sections or series as I refer to them and requires a water, towel, and mat (optional). The cast does the workout in their bare feet using their mats, so that’s what I chose to do as well.

You start, as always, with a basic warm-up and then jump into the first series, which is called Heat, and let me tell you, it definitely gets you warm! In Heat, you start in plank, then bend your knees down, do a tricep push up, downward dog, and runner’s lunge. You also do sun salutation 1 and sun salutation 2 (too lengthy for me to describe) a couple of times as well as a combination. Overall, it got my blood flowing and I was ready to see what else the workout had to offer. The next series was called Legs, so I knew I was going to feel some burn, and that I definitely did! It brought me back a bit to the Full Body Blast in which my buns were on fire throughout. During this series, you start with a plank, and go into a low lunge, which flows into a knee up, into Warrior 3, and back down into lower lunge. You repeat this several times in which it gets progressively harder (and faster). You also, obviously, repeat on the other side. The next part of Legs is a progression where you start in a plank, flow into up dog, downward dog, and a series of lunges and knee lifts/leg kicks combinations, again getting progressively harder and faster. You then jump into bowler’s lunges, with a side knee raise, again getting harder/faster as you progress. You then get a “break” by doing speed skaters (and trust me, you NEED a break here – my butt was dying!) and some squats. You then repeat that on the other leg. Um, yeah. Wow. The next series is called Plank and Core, which is fairly self explanatory. You do squats, PiYo push-ups (with variations), planks, elbow planks (with alternate arm extensions), more planks, and downward dogs (and variations, such as split legs, knee in, etc.). Repeat for both sides. The next series is called Power and includes squats, speed skaters, lunges, and sumo burpees. I thoroughly enjoyed this progression (could be partly because I LOVE burpees…). The next series is called Flow and this reminded me a lot of the earlier videos in the calendar. It involves a lot more of your yoga-type poses, such as high lunges, warrior 2s, triangles, runner’s lunges, and PiYo flips. The last series is called Stretch and Strength and helps to cool you down. You kind of alternate between a strength move and a stretch move with exercises such as down dog with open split, tricep push-ups, pigeon, elbow plank, runner’s lunges, and so on.

Overall, I really liked this workout. I felt that it was quite a bit more challenging than some of the others (particularly in the earliest set of DVDs). It was a great length and had me sweating throughout. I very much enjoyed the variety in the workout and the fact that it really covered so many different muscle groups. I even had to take some breaks at certain points, so it’s definitely a workout that I can continue to grow with and challenge myself. Definitely a thumbs up in my books! Time to put another dollar in my Workout Tip Jar. Yay!

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

Today’s PiYo workout, Hardcore on the Floor, was a bonus DVD that you get when you purchase through a coach. When I popped in the DVD, I was a bit surprised to see that it was just over 33 minutes long. Since most of the DVDs have been short and since core workouts (particularly bonus ones) tend to be on the shorter side, I was pleasantly surprised at the length of the workout.

As the name implies, you spend almost the entire workout on the floor (a yoga mat is optional). You start with a short warm-up to get your core ready for its obliteration and then jump into the first series, which was called Primal to Traditional. You start with some beasts and beast kick throughs and into a combination where you keep your kick through, roll back, roll back up and do a crunch. This was definitely a tough sequence, but it was kind of fun. You then do a series of V-sit combinations and oblique crunches. The second series is called Primal and includes exercises such as roll backs, pedals, side plank crunches, more beasts (including tapping knees) and Roman twists. By this point, those beasts were KILLER – everything was on fire (thighs, core, shoulders, oh my!). The third series was called Plank to Elbow Plank and obviously included a variety of plank exercises, including some down dog combinations. The last series was called the Back Extension and Cool Down where you do some superman type exercises and then a basic cool down to wrap it up.

Overall, I really enjoyed this core workout. It was challenging and had lots of variety, which made it interesting. There was a modifier as well as more advanced options for whatever your fitness level is. Chalene will often point out how to modify and when to try to challenge yourself. She, as always, provides excellent cues to make sure you are using proper form. This was not a workout I would consider easy, but one that I can definitely see myself growing stronger with. If you’re going to purchase PiYo, I’d recommend getting it through a coach, just so you can get this extra workout (it’s definitely worth it). Workout is done for the day and I got to put another loonie in the Workout Tip Jar. Yay! Oh, and it looks like we have a couple new workouts to try out in the next few days. In two days it will be Drench (which, c’mon, just sounds awesome) and I believe the other is Strong Legs (a part of the Deluxe Kit). Looking forward to the next few workouts!

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

Today’s new PiYo video was called Full Body Blast and it came with the Deluxe Kit that I purchased (as part of the Strength DVD). The workout is approximately 30 minutes long and incorporates the Strength Slides throughout.

As with the other DVDs, the workout starts off with your typical warm-up and then is broken down into several series. I apologize upfront if I mix up some of the series (I did it earlier in the day and forgot to jot down the titles and what exercises I did in each, so I’m banking on my tired memory!). The first series involves a variety of lunges using the slides and boy do you feel the burn here. I was thoroughly impressed with how the slides really amped up the burn factor on the different lunges we did. When you’re using the slides, the ball of your foot stays on the middle part of the slide while your heel is on the floor (for stability and safety). Because of my surface (carpet), I really had to use my lower body strength and core to stabilize my one leg and slide back with my other foot into the lunge position and again for returning to the start. It’s really hard to describe, but when you try it, you’ll know how effective (deadly?) these cute looking slides really are. The second series focused on the core and involved a series of planks (including variations, such as burpee-type things and spreading legs out and in), mountain climbers, pike-ups (seriously difficult with those slides), and push-ups/tricep push-ups. The next series brought you down to the floor to focus on the core, where we did a series of crunches incorporating the slides (they progressed in difficulty). The last series involved some hamstring work and the cool down.

Overall, I again quite liked this workout. I definitely noticed a good sweat forming (my t-shirt was definitely NOT dry) and I felt the burn all over. I would liked to have seen a bit more upper body work (particularly in the arms), but that’s difficult to fit into a 30 minute workout. As with the other videos, there is a modifier and suggestions/tips for how to make the moves more difficult. Being the first time working with the slides, they were a bit difficult to maneuver at first, but I think the more I use them, the better I’ll be able to do each of the exercises. The slides, as I mentioned above, really help you to focus on your form and pretty much force you to use your core to stabilize and complete each exercise safely. Being someone with a rather short attention span, I really liked using the slides, as it made the moves more interesting and helped the workout pass by more quickly (probably a reason why I love Asylum and really enjoyed P90X3 Agility). I’m glad that I did end up ordering the Deluxe kit, because I think this will be a useful, interesting video to continue to incorporate throughout the years. Plus, I got to put yet another dollar in the Workout Tip Jar. Yay!

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

Okay, so I may have cheated a bit and skipped ahead to today’s new workout video called “Strength Intervals.” What can I say? I just couldn’t resist!

Strength Intervals is relatively short, just over 20 minutes long. You start, as usual, with a short warm-up and then follow a couple of different series. In essence, the workout is broken down into a cardio move followed by a strength move. Again, you only need a towel and water with no other equipment necessary (you use your own body weight for resistance).

The first series is called Legs and starts with a jog, followed by lunges (repeat for both sides), then goes into speed skaters followed by bowler lunges (repeat for both sides). The second series is called Squats and Sumos. It starts off with toe tap/hop lunges/ski cardio progression followed by squats (repeat for both sides). Then, you do a series of sumo squats, burpees, lunges, and push-ups. The final series is called Triceps, Biceps, and Chest and involves beasts, down dogs, jumping runner’s lunges, tricep push ups, and beast kick throughs. You wrap it all up with a quick cool down.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this workout. It felt like a more traditional workout, but I did find it somewhat on the easier end than I’m used to with the likes of T25 or P90X3. With most of the moves, Chalene builds up the intensity, but that sometimes makes it feel like it starts off a bit too easy (although it would be great for beginners). Because there is more jumping/hopping involved in this workout, the modifier is super important for those who need the low-impact option (she provides alternatives so that you don’t have to jump or hop). I almost felt like the workout needed to be double the length for me to really get what I was looking for out of it. I was breaking a sweat, but I finished wanting more. Nevertheless, I got to put yet another dollar in the Workout Tip Jar. Wahoo!

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

Today’s PiYo workout was called “Buns” and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. My buns, my buns, my buns were on fiya!

The workout itself is just over 28 minutes and does not require the PiYo mat, just a towel (optional) and water. It starts, as per usual, with a basic warm-up (very similar to the other workouts). The first series is titled squats and sumos, which has a natural progression of narrow squats, bowler lunges, and clockwork lunges, then repeats with wider squats, and finally with sumo squats. There were also burpees thrown in, wahoo. I’m actually one of those people that actually loves squats, so I really enjoyed this first section and was starting to feel the burn.

The second series was Lunges and Bowlers, which pretty much sums it up (a series of lunges and bowler lunges with some squats thrown in).

The third series was KILLER…boy was my booty feeling it here! This series was called Last Blast and during it Chalene brings you down to the floor where you start off on your hands and knees. You start with your right leg and do a variety of moves, such as moving your leg back, to the right, back and in, and repeating for sufficient burn. Then, you keep your leg back and up and do circles, followed by keeping your leg back and doing a toe touch and up. Yeeaaahhh…if your booty is not feeling it, you have a STRONG behind (well, at least stronger than mine!). Just because your butt hasn’t worked enough, you then drop into low plank with more booty burning moves. Just when you think you cannot last any longer (or perhaps you’ve already crashed or had a couple of mini breaks), Chalene allows you to go into pigeon (ahhh…how I love Pigeon). You then swing around so that you are laying on your back with your right leg crossed over top of your bent right knee. You then do some bridges followed by a mini break of rotating knees and then you repeat the entire thing with your left leg.

Finally, there is a short cool down and you are officially done.

This is actually one of my favorite workouts so far in the program. It really did what it was supposed to (killed those buns). It had a really smooth progression and worked your lower body well. It’s nice not having to worry about weights or reps and just following Chalene’s cues and enjoying the good burn. As always, there is a modifier for those who need that option.

Overall, I loved this workout. I was feeling sore from going for a long run yesterday, so I was feeling pretty tight and was a little unsure what I was signing up for with this DVD. However, it felt really good and got the job done. It looks like I have another new video in a couple of days, so I’m pretty excited about that. Tune back, soon! Oh,and of course, I got to put yet another dollar in the Workout Tip Jar. Wahoo!

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

Today’s PiYo workout was called “Core” and *insert suspenseful music here* therefore focused on the core (woah). I actually like that the DVD titles are very reflective of the workout you’re about to get – it makes it simple. The workout is about 30 minutes long and works ALL of your core in natural progressions. As with the other workouts, it’s broken down into different series, which helps make the time pass more quickly and helps build up the intensity of the workout.

The first part of your workout is a stretch to get your core ready for it’s beating. After you’ve warmed up, you enter into the Standing Core series, which was one of my favorites. I actually really enjoy standing core work, so this was a nice way to start off the workout. Standing Core included moves such as standing crunch progressions and a standing lunge progression (reminded me a bit of bowler lunges, but not exactly). The second series are Prone Exercises where you do a series of down dogs, splits, planks, side planks, and PiYo pike combinations (i.e. down dog split into a plank; plank with a knee in and out, etc.). There were definitely some tricky maneuvers in this mix that I have to build up to in order to have a better technique. Love that there’s a challenge for me. The next series is called Supine and Side Plank, which definitely reminded me a bit more of your typical core exercises, with different combinations of biking ab moves (criss cross, pushing on your knee, arms up, etc.). You then jump into a slow roll-up and from there into some more side planks and PiYo pikes. Again, a really great progression that works different parts of your abs. The final series was called PiYo pedal and punter, which included exercises such as pedal combinations and side plank combinations (i.e pulling knee in, kicking leg out). Again, a bit tricky but worth the effort! Afterwards you end with a short cool down.

Overall, I actually really enjoyed this workout. Chalene, as always, provides excellent cues and models each move clearly. There is a modifier for those who need it and she often gives tips to make the exercises a bit more challenging. The workout has a nice pace so you don’t feel like you’re dying (just when you think you can’t do a move for longer, she generally switches it up or gives you a little break). Yet, despite that, it’s still a super good workout for your core. Again, though, I feel like I’ll probably use PiYo as a supplement to some other programs. I don’t feel like I’m burning a ton of calories, but the program itself seems like something that is often missing from other programs. I haven’t yet today, but I may add in a run or a T25 later to just burn off some extra calories. If you’re beginning a workout program, however, this may be a really good fit or if you’re a veteran workout junkie and your body is beat up, you may want to do this to give your body a break or to use as a supplement to some of your other workouts.

The more I do PiYo, the more I can see its effectiveness and its much needed place in an overall fitness regime. I’m looking forward to wrapping up week 2! Plus, I get to put yet another tip into Workout Tip Jar. Wahoo!

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.

Today’s PiYo workout was called “Sweat” and was just over 36 minutes long. I actually quite enjoyed this workout. It was more challenging than the previous two and a bit faster paced.

Sweat starts off with a basic warm-up and then goes into a couple of different series. The first series is called Heat, which is a combination of downward dogs, lunges, planks, squats, among other combinations. It definitely gets your blood flowing and your sweat starting. The second series was called Lower Body and includes exercises such as lunges, knee lifts, warriors, three point balances, and side to side skates. The third series was called Plank and Core and included moves such as up dogs, down dogs, PiYo push-ups, and leg splits. The fourth series, Power, was probably my favorite as it included a variety of squats and even burpees (yay!). It was definitely the series that pumped up the sweat factor and got me moving more quickly.Finally, you end with Stretch and Strength to cool you on down.

Each of the series have a natural progression where Chalene talks you through each move and progresses/combines exercises to make the workout more challenging. By the end of the workout, I definitely had a good sweat on and felt like I had accomplished a very good workout. It wasn’t the same intensity say as Insanity or P90X3, but it was still an excellent workout. One of the aspects I’m enjoying right now about PiYo is simply that it’s low-impact. I’ve been killing my body lately with all my high-impact workouts, so it’s a really nice change to work up a sweat without putting as much pressure on my joints. As with the other PiYo workouts, there is a modifier who shows you different ways to make the moves easier or more manageable for certain exercisers. Because there is so much core and shoulder work, I can definitely foresee some nice definition happening after the next 60 days.

Overall, this workout made me feel the burn (in a good way), lived up to its name (sweat), and was pretty fun overall. Not being a huge fan of Pilates or Yoga, I’ve actually been surprised at how much I have been enjoying these workouts. I don’t find them “boring” as I’ve found some pilates or yoga workouts, which, for me, is huge in any workout (if I’m bored, I’m not going to stick with it).

Again, if you want some easy motivation, check out Workout Tip Jar or find an accountability partner or challenge group.

Happy exercising!

Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or fitness expert. All information I discuss on my blog is intended for inspiration and educational purposes and is not intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Before making any changes to your own health and fitness, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor.